Microblading aftercare and healing, day by day
This microblading aftercare guide also covers micro-shading and powder brows. Your brows will change colour and texture while they heal, so don’t judge the final result by how they look on the first day. Skin type and aftercare affect the healed result.
The first 24 hours
Your brows will look darker and more defined immediately after treatment. I’ll give you aftercare advice to take home, and you can contact me if you’re unsure about a step.
Keep water off the brow area as much as possible. Wash or cleanse around it rather than over it. Don’t cover your brows heavily with aftercare product. Follow the advice I give you for your treatment rather than adding more product because the brows look dark.
Days 2 to 10
For the first 7 days, keep water off the brow area as much as you can. Wash around your brows. Avoid saunas, pools and steam rooms during that week. Leave massages, facials and other skin treatments until after the first 7 days too.
Around days 4 to 5, your brows may begin to flake and look dry. Don’t pick the flakes. Picking can affect how much pigment stays in the skin. You may also notice mild itching. Don’t scratch your brows. If you need to ease an itch, pat the area with clean hands.
Your brows may look patchy or much lighter as the surface heals. That change can be unsettling. The colour can become clearer again later. If something worries you, contact me rather than trying to remove a flake or change the aftercare yourself.
Healing stages
Immediately after the appointment, the colour looks darker and the shape looks more defined. That stronger look can last for up to about a week.
Around days 4 to 5, flaking and dryness can begin. As a new layer of skin forms, the brows may then fade and look very faint. Colour can appear uneven during this stage.
The pigment can become visible again as healing continues. The skin healing cycle takes about 30 days. The healed colour may be lighter than the colour you saw at first, and hair strokes may look different on different skin types. Oilier skin can heal with a softer, more powdery appearance than drier skin.
Your first session builds the shape. It is not the end of the process. I’ll assess the healed brows at your perfecting session.
What to avoid
- For the first 7 days, avoid getting the brow area wet as much as possible. Wash around it.
- Don’t pick flakes or scratch an itchy area.
- Don’t cover the brows heavily with aftercare product.
- Avoid saunas, pools, steam rooms, massages, facials and skin treatments for the first 7 days.
- Don’t use laser light therapy on your brows. Avoid retinol acids and AHAs on the area for 30 days.
These steps apply after microblading as well as micro-shading and powder brows. Contact me if you need help with a particular stage.
Your perfecting session
The included perfecting session takes place 4 to 6 weeks after your first treatment. I’ll look at how the colour has healed and discuss the shape with you. I can add density or make adjustments where needed.
Some people need more than two sessions to reach the result they want. Skin type, earlier semi-permanent work and aftercare can affect how pigment holds. The perfecting session gives us a chance to judge the healed result rather than the darker colour from day one.
When to contact me
Contact me if you’re unsure about your aftercare or worried by a change as your brows heal. You can use the contact page. If you need to arrange an appointment, use book online.
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